This week, Savanna Class enjoyed sharing their wonderful summer memories with friends and creating colorful artwork inspired by their holiday experiences. From water play and fireworks crafts to phonics games, the children had many opportunities to learn, play, and work together.
During the Obon holiday, Savanna students spent time relaxing and making wonderful memories with their families. When they returned to school, they happily shared their experiences with their friends, saying things like, “I went to Nara!” and “I played in the pool!” The children then drew their favorite summer memories on a big sheet of paper and colored their pictures beautifully. We displayed their wonderful artwork on the wall by the stairs, so please take a look at your child’s work!
On Monday, since it was the first day back after the Obon holiday and the weather was very hot, we thought it would be a great opportunity for the children to spend time with their friends and enjoy some water play. We took the bus to the park and had lots of fun playing in the water! On their second visit, the children became curious about where the water was coming from. They explored the area, found their favorite spots to play, and enjoyed shielding themselves from the spurting water with their hats. They also loved running through the water arches and having a fantastic time with their friends!
We made a beautiful craft inspired by one of our favorite summer memories—fireworks! While watching a video, Ms. Shizuka asked the children about the colors they could see. They excitedly said, “Rainbow colors!” and “All the colors!”, showing that they noticed the many beautiful colors in the fireworks. Everyone enjoyed creating their own fireworks artwork using colorful paints. Please take a look at how fantastic their fireworks crafts are!
In our phonics lesson, we learned how to read -ed CVC words such as red, bed, and wed. We also played a fun group game called the CVC Word Race! Ms. Fronie showed the children a picture, and the players had to quickly find the word that matched the picture and pass it to the next player. The students worked hard to read the words quickly and accurately. It was wonderful to see them cheering for their teammates and working together as they tried their best to win!
In our Unit of Inquiry, “Sharing the Planet – Small Creatures,” we started to explore LOI 2: How small creatures grow and change. The children completed a worksheet where they chose a small creature, pasted its picture, and drew the things they thought it needed to grow. Most of them drew food, water, and sleep.
The following day, we watched a video of the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Many of the children were already familiar with the story and eagerly shared their knowledge. We heard comments such as, “It’s still hungry!”, “It has a stomachache!”, and “It will become a butterfly!” When we asked, “Why do you think he got a stomachache?”, one child shared, “Because he ate people’s food!” We also discussed what the caterpillar needed to grow, and the children shared that it needed to eat leaves. Through our discussions, we learned that small creatures have different needs as they grow, just like humans.
The Savanna students also had fun making ladybug origami! They carefully folded and created their ladybugs, then placed them around the tree, making it look like a home for these small creatures.
It was a wonderful week filled with happy summer memories, creativity, teamwork, and new discoveries! The children demonstrated being Communicators as they shared their ideas and talked about their own experiences. They were also Caring and Open-minded as they listened to their friends and worked together during games and activities.
As we continue our learning journey, we look forward to discovering more about how small creatures grow and change. We are excited to see our Savanna students continue to ask questions, share their ideas, and develop a deeper understanding of the world around them! Thank you for reading our weekly blog, and we look forward to sharing more of our learning adventures with you next week!
